Whispers Among the Forgotten
by FizzSummers
Summary: Korra's dad walks out leaving her mother bitter. Soon a mysterious masked man moves next door along with his brother. He seems nice and welcoming to her but are his intentions really good? Either way she soon finds herself in love with him. Warning, Age difference relationship and suggestive content. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Whispers among the forgotten**

_**A/N: Rated T for some violence and suggestive sexual themes(In later chapters). However, I might change the rating later if I feel it's needed. Obviously AU and such. Told from Korra's POV. **_

_Chapter One_

They were fighting. Yes, they had fought many times before but this time it was different. Dad's voice held more rage. Mom could usually hold her ground against him, but on this night she was filled with fear. All I could hear from her were whimpers and pleas. I couldn't just sit and continue listening from my bedroom. If Mom wasn't going to protect herself tonight then I would. My face turned into a scowl and I puffed out my chest a bit. Since I was only eleven years old then I probably didn't look all that intimidating.

I walked down the little stairway and to the kitchen. Mom was leaning against the counter, trembling as Dad held a knife to her. The anger on his face was frightening. He'd never done anything this bad before, what was wrong with him? "Dad stop!" I hollered boldly. My voice surprised both of them because they jumped and turned their eyes towards me.

"Korra go back to your room right now" Dad snapped.

I glared at him, "No, not until you stop hurting Mom" I looked to her and she was looking to the floor tiles, as if she was trying to disappear. When did she become so weak?

"Put the knife down Dad" I said as I looked to the weapon.

"I'm the adult here, you don't tell me what to do!"

I held out my hand and fire formed just above my palm, "I've been practicing my bending, I could kill you if I wanted to. I'm stronger than you!"

"I told you not to bend ever!" he snarled, "Do you want the world to know you're a freak?!"

"I don't care, It's a part of me" I shot back.

Dad dropped the knife to the floor and then kicked it away. "I'm leaving" he said darkly and started walking towards the front door.

"No!" Mom cried out and ran after him, "You can't just leave your life is here" She grabbed hold of his arm but he shoved her away. She sobbed loudly, pleading for him to stay. It was pathetic but Dad was the one who took care of the money and such. Life would be hard without him but a big part of me wanted him gone anyway.

"I won't be threatened" he yelled and opened the door. Mom fell to the floor, sobbing helplessly. So Dad was really scared of me? That made me feel kind of good.

"Well then go! We don't need you" I told him. Mom gasped when I said this. I felt sorry for her but in the end me doing this was for her own good. He scowled at me angrily and I did the same right back at him. Without another word he then walked out and slammed the door behind him. For a moment a triumphant smile came across my face but then my mother started screaming. She screamed for her beloved husband like a madwoman. Before she could even move towards the door, I walked to her and put my arms tightly around her.

"Mom stop. Let him go" I said, trying to calm her. She sobbed, the tears flowing down her cheeks

"Korra no you just don't understand" she cried, "How could you do this to us?"

I tried to assure her we would be alright. Mom would have to accept that he was gone and we'd never see him again.

xxxxx

It had been several months since Dad had left. He didn't even stop by to get his things, he just left completely leaving his old life behind. We asked around town to see if anyone had seen him, a few people had but only briefly on the day he left. Mom resented me and she rarely even spoke to me. She was able to get a secretary job to provide for us. It wasn't as much as Dad had made from his job but it was enough to make a decent living.

It was summer and I often spent my times outside. I tried to avoid spending time in the house with my mother, her negativity could really get to me. I had Tahno to hang out with who was about the same age as me, he lived down the street. He was arrogant and often claimed he could beat me at everything so we often clashed. Still we were friends.

The two of us were sitting on a blanket in the front yard with the food I had made, which was just two peanut butter sandwiches We enjoyed having little picnics. Today we were curious about the house next door to mine, because men from a moving truck were carrying furniture and boxes into it.

"What if freaks move in next to you Korra?" Tahno sneered and then took a bite of his sandwich. The house was a fairly big size with gray siding and black shudders. As far as I could remember, it has always been uninhabited.

I rolled my eyes, "Probably just going to be some old lady or something"

He laughed and then pinched my shoulder. "Ow!" I cried and frowned at him, "What the heck did you do that for?" I then slugged him on his shoulder. He sat down the rest of his sandwich and grinned at me.

"Let's play a game" Tahno said as he stood up, "Try and catch me Korra" With that he started running around the yard. I sighed but smiled and then lifted myself up, then ran after him. He was pretty fast but I was determined.

"Slowpoke!" he chanted, as he ran through the yard. I frowned and moved my legs even faster. I was close enough to him and I pounced, tackling him to the ground. I flipped him on his back and started wiggling my fingers along his sides.

"Korra! Cut it out!" he cried through his laughter. I snickered and kept on tickling him, it was hilarious hearing his high pitched laughter and face turning red. Smiling, I glanced up and saw a dark blue car park in front of the moving truck. That's when I stopped.

Tahno sat up to see what I was looking at and we both watched curiously. A man got out of the driver's side. He was wearing a red and white mask, his dark hair could be seen from the back, flattened down by the strap of the mask. The mask was odd but he was also wearing a bulky brown jacket and pants when it was pretty hot outside. "Told you freaks would be moving in" Tahno muttered. I elbowed him and continued watching the masked man. He moved to the passenger side and opened the door, he carefully helped out another man. This man had long hair tied back in a ponytail and wore similar bulky clothes. He seemed very weak as he clung to the masked man for support.

"Oh look a masked freak and an invalid. Told you, freaks" Tahno said and I elbowed him once again.

"You're so insensitive" I told him, "I'm going to talk to them so they know they'll have at least one friend here" Tahno grunted and I frowned at him, "It's probably better if you stay here or maybe go home"

"Fine with me" he said with a shrug. I stuck my tongue out at him and then walked over to the house next door.

It was a struggle for the masked man to get the other man in the house. I approached them with a friendly smile. "Hi" I said and there heads turned to me. "Guess we're neighbors now. My name's Korra"

"Hello, call me Amon and this is my brother Tarrlok" the masked man said. Through the slits of his mask his eyes were clearly observing me. The man called Tarrlok smiled at me weakly.

"So where you guys from?" I asked.

"It looks like the movers are almost done, why don't we go inside?" Amon said.

"Sure" I said, beaming. I was happy they were quick to accept me as a friend. I walked slowly with the two men as they made their way into the house. I wondered what was wrong with Tarrlok and why Amon wore a mask but it was good not to ask such things upfront. It took us awhile to get to the front door but we did. Before going inside I looked over at my yard to see if Tahno was still there. He was and for some reason he was grinning. I rolled my eyes and then walked into the house behind the two men.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

Amon helped his brother onto an armchair. They had quite a lot of boxes in the house and I wondered how long it would take for the two brothers to unpack all of them. Amon was looking at me again but Tarrlok was just trying to get comfortable in the chair. "You have amazing blue eyes" the masked man said when the movers had left.

"Oh, thank you" I said with a smile. Although having him observe me through that mask made me a bit nervous. I couldn't help but wonder why he wore it, was he disfigured? I tried searching his eyes to find something but of course, nothing. I still wasn't comfortable just asking him.

"Are you wondering why I wear the mask?" he asked, it probably wasn't hard to see my curiosity. I saw Tarrlok look to his brother and frown.

"Well sure, if you don't mind telling me" I replied. He made his way closer to me and then knelt down in front of me, so we were eye to eye. For some reason I felt comfortable around him even though he was a stranger to me.

"Noatak please don't scare the girl away when we just met her" Tarrlok said.

"Remember brother, my name is Amon now and I won't scare her" Amon told him. Tarrlok shrugged and leaned his head back against the chair. This man wore a mask and had changed his name? My mind swirled with questions but I kept them to myself and waited for him to explain.

"You see Korra, my brother and I have lived a very hard life. I won't go into details about that just yet but it's the reason we moved here. Unlike Tarrlok I didn't just want to change my surroundings, I also wanted to change myself. So I wear the mask and go by the name Amon, it's my way of starting over" he explained, looking deeply into my eyes. He said this very casually, he obviously didn't want to tell me anymore, at least not yet. He fascinated me, even though I was young I found him strangely alluring.

"Well I'll hope you'll be happy here" I told him, "And if you need any help unpacking, I'll be more than willing to help!" I blushed a little, thinking that I sounded a bit too eager. But I was interested in spending more time with the masked man, I wanted to know him more. I heard Tarrlok laugh and my eyes darted to him.

"Looks like some has a crush on you Amon" he said and my face flushed.

"Hey!" I snapped, "I just want to help!"

Amon chuckled, "You can come over any time you want, Korra but I'd prefer to do the unpacking on my own" He then placed a hand on my cheek and my face went hot. I'd never felt this way around anyone before, I didn't know how to react. "You can even consider this your second home" he added. I smiled, it would be nice to have a second home since my 'first' was filled with tension.

"That would be great" I said, beaming, "But whe-" To my surprise he pulled me into his embrace, my eyes went wide as my body was so close to his. I enjoyed it but at the same time I thought that I shouldn't be okay with this. I saw that Tarrlok was smiling at us.

xxxxx

Everyday I went over to see Amon, Mom never noticed me going over there. Ever since Dad left I don't think she really cared what I did anymore. Tahno sure did though, in fact he was actually jealous to see me hanging around Amon. I don't think Tahno had any other friends besides me so I still tried to spend some time with him. Although it was hard since I was always thinking about the masked man next door.

"Isn't he a little too old for you" Tahno said. The two of us were out in the yard throwing an old baseball back and forth.

"It's not like we're dating or anything, Tahno" I said as I caught the ball and threw it back to him.

"Ha! But you probably want to be dating, you've been dressing all girly and sweet lately" he said, throwing the ball back. It was true, I used to just put on some old t-shirt, jeans or shorts everyday. But now I was actually wearing my good clothes. Like today I wore I pink summer dress, it was girly but still comfortable.

"There's nothing wrong with looking nice" I said and threw the ball back.

"Korra!"

I looked over and saw that Amon was standing in his yard, calling for me. I smiled and waved to him, "Well Tahno-" He threw the ball but I moved just in time before it hit me in the face.

"Pssh...go see your boyfriend" he said, rolling his eyes. I gave him a quick scowl and then ran over to see Amon. As soon as I got to his yard I gave him a tight hug. Today he was wearing a loose fitting gray polo shirt with some jeans, it was a big difference from those bulky clothes he had shown up with and didn't really go well with his mask. Either way I found him to be very attractive even though I had yet to see his face. His body was muscular and it was hard for me to let go when I hugged him, feeling his hard abdominal area.

"Korra, let's go inside. I have something important to talk to you about" he said. I pulled back and looked up at with a smile. He held out his hand and I placed mine in it. The two of us then walked into his house together. I didn't even think to look over at Tahno.

We passed Tarrlok on our way to the stairs, he was sitting on his chair watching TV. He never did much, Amon still never explained how his brother got injured or much else about their past. I was surprised to see that Amon was actually taking me to his room. He'd never done it before, I was excited and a little scared at the same time. But he did say he wanted to talk about something important, so I thought that's why he wanted to be somewhere private.

"Make yourself comfortable" he said as we walked in the room. Amon shut the door behind him and I looked around. His room was a lot more plain than I expected. It was basically just a bed, dresser and desk, for some reason I had expected his room to be more extravagant. But nevertheless I smiled and sat on the end of the bed.

He walked to me and knelt down. "Korra, I'm going to get right to the point. When you get older, I want you to be my wife" My eyes widened, he really wanted me to be his wife? I was excited yet I wasn't sure what to say at first.

"Amon..." My voice drifted off as I tried to say the right thing. He did say when I got older, so it wasn't as if he was rushing me. I really did like Amon, more than I'd ever liked anybody so there was no way I could say no. "Okay, but only when I'm older"

"Yes, of course. Also, you look very pretty today" he said and I blushed.

"Thank you" I said sweetly. Amon then sat next to me on the bed and pulled me into his lap. I gazed into his eyes lovingly. I felt so happy with him. My happiness was even greater when, for the first time, he removed his mask and kissed me.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

My body almost melted from his kiss, it was wonderful but I had to pull back. I needed to get a good look of his face. "A-amon what happened to you?" I asked. His face had four scars, two on each of his cheeks. The skin puckered and red. I reached out and touched the rough tissue, my hand moving slowly against it. His scars were marks upon a very handsome face. Just like his body, his face was very masculine.

"Do you want the truth, Korra?" he said softly.

"Yes of course, if you don't mind telling me" I replied carefully. Amon gently took hold of my hand and pressed it softly against his lips.

"I did it to myself" he whispered. I pulled my hand away and looked into his eyes. Was the man I so easily fell for actually crazy?

"Why would you do that, Amon?" I asked as I shifted in his lap.

"I told you I wanted to start over. I didn't really have a reason to wear a mask, so I made a reason. I'm a new person Korra, please understand" I began to see pain in his eyes and immediately I felt guilty for questioning his sanity.

"I understand" I said and gently stroked his cheek, "I'm sorry Amon, I love you" Even though I was only eleven years old, I knew what I felt was love. I gave him a quick kiss on the lips and smiled. I never asked Amon how old he was. But I guessed he was in his late 20s or early 30s, I was somewhat afraid to ask. As silly as it sounds, I felt safe not knowing his exact age

"I love you too" he then began to lower the strap of my dress. I blushed deeply and my whole body stiffened. I knew about the things men and women did, but I wasn't sure I was ready for it. Even though I did love him.

"A-amon" I whimpered softly as his hand was just about to touch my budding breast.

"Yes? Is something the matter?" he said, pulling back his hand.

"I'm just a little nervous about..." I started to say but my voice drifted off.

He smiled, "Ah, I understand. Don't worry I can wait until you're ready" Amon then wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly. He stood up holding me, my face only inches from his. "But you can still at least kiss me" he whispered. I pressed my lips against his and gently moved my tongue in his mouth, twirling it with his. I felt his hands rub my backside and I pulled back. I wasn't comfortable with the sexual touching yet. Luckily, he was patient with me.

"Amon...I think I should tell you something" I said, something coming to my mind. "Set me down for a second" He nodded and set me down gently in front of him.

"What is it, Korra?"

"Well I'm a bender" I told him. I saw his expression slightly darken but still I went on, "But Mom and Dad always told me to keep it a secret because the world's forgot about bending. They said it's something I have to keep to myself or I'll be viewed as a freak and dangerous" I then stepped back so I could demonstrate, I hoped it would impress him.

_**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short ;( **_


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

I swished around the water between my hands slowly. Amon had brought me up a glass of water. "See" I said, moving the water around in a circle. To my dismay he didn't seem that impressed, he just looked at me with a blank expression. I then carefully moved the water back into the glass, I didn't get a drop of it anywhere. I felt proud about that.

"I can also fire and earth bend but for some reason I've never been able to airbend" I told him. He didn't say anything he just nodded. "Amon what are you thinking?" I asked worriedly.

"Korra, I hate to hurt your feelings but bending is a dangerous thing" he said. My heart sank, I had showed him my bending because I thought he would like me even more. He would see me as unique but apparently he now saw me as nothing more than a freak. I enjoyed being a bender, I wanted to tell him he had to accept it or we could never be together. But I just couldn't bring myself to say that.

"Amon I can't help it, it's a part of me" I said quietly.

"I understand that" His voice was calm but serious, it almost frightened me. "But Korra, it gives you an unfair advantage over others. I for one believe that everyone should be equal"

"But Amon..." I said, I felt tears coming on. I regretted showing him that I was a bender. "Does this mean you hate me now?" I was starting tremble, as much as I loved my bending I didn't want to lose him.

To my surprise, he smiled. "No Korra, I could never hate you" He then knelt down in front of me so we could be eye to eye. "What if I told you I knew how to get rid of your bending...for good" I looked at him, unsure of what to say. Was my bending really that much of an issue for him? Despite what my parents had told me I always thought it made me very special. I thought of it as a gift not a curse, unlike them.

"I don't know..." I said in a very low whisper.

"Well, I don't expect you to make the decision so quickly" he said, "I will give you time to think about it" He pulled me into his strong arms and then whispered, "Just know that I don't think I can be with you if you stay a bender"

xxxxx

When I went home, I ran into my room and threw myself onto the bed. Tears fell from my eyes, I didn't know what I should do. I loved Amon but could I really give up a piece of myself? I buried my face into the pillow and screamed.

I then heard a knock at my bedroom door. Frantically, I wiped my eyes and tried putting myself together. "What is it?" I said with feigned nonchalance.

"Your friend Tahno's at the door" Not surprisingly, it was Mom.

"Send him up" I told her.

She sighed, "Okay but keep your door open" So she did still care a little. But it didn't really matter to me at the moment.

Soon Tahno came through the door, he didn't look very happy. He was about to close the door behind him. "Gotta leave it open" I told him. He grunted and left it open but not all the way.

"Do you plan on forgetting about me?" he asked harshly as he walked next to my bed. "And have you been crying? Did that freak do something to you?" My eyes were, of course still red from crying.

I scowled at him, "Stop interrogating me, Tahno. No I haven't forgotten you" I'd never seen Tahno look so angry and concerned. "And Amon's not a freak" I added but in a whisper. "Also keep your voice down" I didn't want Mom to hear us. She probably wasn't listening but I still wanted to be safe.

"Pssh, sure. Listen it's time for you to make a choice. Me or him"

I filled with rage, I didn't want to have to make anymore choices. "Tahno leave!" I hissed. "I don't have to chose between anything!"

"Oh yes you will. I want an answer by tomorrow" with that he made his way for the door. I threw a pillow at him, it hit him on the back of the head.. He didn't do anything he just kept walking and soon was gone. I buried my face into my hands and began to sob.

I didn't know what I would do yet.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

I walked into Amon's house early in the morning with a lot less enthusiasm. Still, I wanted to see him I just hoped he didn't talk about the 'taking away my bending' thing. I even put the hope in my mind that he would forget about it completely. I decided to go really early because it was way before Tahno would be awake, I wasn't up to listening to his complaints.

When I walked in I saw that Tarrlok was asleep on the couch, he never left that couch very often. I quietly walked past, hoping not to wake him. I then made my way up the stairs to Amon's room. I opened the door slowly and saw that he was still asleep on his bed. He was wearing his mask. He was also shirtless in just his lounge pants.

I moved quietly to the side of the bed, a small smile was on my face. He looked almost vulnerable, with his closed eyes under the mask slits. "I love you so much." I whispered softly as I ran my fingers along his mask. Then I leaned down and kissed him. My lips pressed only against his mask, but still it felt nice.

Suddenly I felt his hand move to my back, "Korra." he said softly. I moved up and looked into his now open eyes.

"Sorry, I came here so early." I said.

"It's fine, you can come anytime you want." He pulled me into the bed with him, where I could nuzzle against his bare chest. "Korra, did you think about what I said?"

I tensed up a bit, "Amon, I'm not sure what I should do."

"I can give you more time to decide." he told me, "For now do something else for me though."

"Sure, what?" I said, with a smile.

"Place your hand on my abdomen." he told me. I did just that, my hand moved to his hard abdominal area. My breathing started to quicken.

"Korra, do you want to make me happy this morning?"

"Yes of course" I said, although I was a little nervous.

"Then move your hand lower."

xxxxx

When I left Amon's house, I was looking to the ground. I felt a little strange about what I had done with him. "Hey Korra!" I looked up and then I was tackled to the ground by Tahno. I hadn't even noticed him in my yard when I walked over. "What did you do with your freakish boyfriend, huh?!" he was on top of me and had me pinned down by the shoulders. He was surprisingly strong today.

"Get off me Tahno!" I cried angrily, struggling to push him off me.

"What were you doing over your boyfriend's?" he asked, a smirk on his face. "Bet you kissed him didn't you?"

I snarled and pushed myself forward until I was able to buck him off me. Tahno fell backwards and I took the opportunity to pounce on him. I sat on top of him and pinned him down. "Tahno are you really that jealous?!"

"I'm not jealous I just think it's morally wrong." he said with a grunt.

I blinked, "You don't even know what that means." I sighed and then got off him, this wasn't going to solve anything. "Tahno, can we please talk about this without fighting?" I asked as I stood.

"Sure, whatever." he said flatly. I held out my hand to help him up and he took it. For a second I saw him smile.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

"Look, why don't you come over for a minute and meet Amon for yourself?" I said to Tahno after nearly thirty minutes of bickering with him. I didn't want to have to do it at first, but it's the only way I felt I could convince him. Amon is obviously the type who can easily win people over, even someone like Tahno. At least, I hoped so. I didn't want to argue with him about this anymore, I had to do something.

"Pssh, sure but don't expect me to be polite." he said.

"I wouldn't expect that at all." I told him, rolling my eyes. I then grabbed his hand and started pulling him across the yard.

"I don't need you to hold my hand, Korra." he snapped, pulling his hand away.

I scowled at him and grunted a little. "Lets just go." I said then started over to the house next door. During this short walk to Amon's house Tahno kept trying to walk in front of me as if he should be the one leading. Still, I was the one to get to the door first.

"Tahno, you can be your rude self but don't make some big scene or anything. His brother's really sick." I whispered to him with my hand on the doorknob.

"Yeah, yeah whatever." he said, waving an impatient hand.

I sighed and then opened the door. Tahno followed behind me and the two of us walked in to find Amon handing Tarrlok a plate of food. "Oh, Hi Korra." he said, he looked over at Tahno. "Who's your friend?" I couldn't really tell his full reaction because he was wearing the mask, but his voice did sound calm.

"I'm just here to see why Korra thinks you and your brother are so interesting." Tahno said harshly.

"I'm sorry Amon but I wanted him to meet you." I said. I watched Tarrlok dig into his meal, he looked a bit more healthier than usual for some reason.

Amon chuckled, "That's fine, why don't the three of us go and talk in the kitchen."

"Okay," I agreed.

"Sure, make sure there's drinks too." Tahno said crudely.

"Of course." Amon responded calmly. He then gestured us to follow him into the kitchen and that's what Tahno and I did. I hoped Tahno would calm down with his rudeness, it was making me pretty uncomfortable, more than I thought it would. I didn't like seeing someone disrespect Amon.

When we were in the kitchen, Tahno and I sat at the round wooden table. Amon grabbed a drinking glass from the cabinet and then filled it up with water from the faucet. I heard Tahno grunt, "That's all you have is water to drink?" he asked. I felt like hitting him but instead I just stayed put in my seat.

Amon seemed unfazed though, "Yes, unfortunately." He said, handing Tahno the glass of water. With a sigh Tahno took it.

"So tell me Amon, what do you do to make Korra like you so much?" he said, taking a sip of water.

"Well, Korra's pretty mature for her age. I suppose she enjoys the company of adults." Amon replied.

I looked to Tahno, and saw him tense up a little. "So why do you where that mask?"

"I was in an accident." Amon told him. I didn't blame him for lying, it was obvious he couldn't tell everyone the truth. Tahno just grunted, taking another sip.

"Any other questions?" Amon asked calmly.

"See Tahno, Amon isn't bad at all." I told my friend. He then sat his glass on the table and looked over at me, a dark gleam in his eyes.

"I can just sense that there's something going on around here. I'm going to find out what it is." His voice was rather intense, it almost frightened me.

"There's nothing to find out, I assure you." Amon said, I admired him for being so calm and collected. Especially when dealing with someone like Tahno.

"Sure there isn't." Tahno said, rolling his eyes. He then stood up and looked back and forth at Amon and I. "Yup, there's something up here...I just know it."

"Just stop being paranoid Tahno!" I snapped.

"Whatever, Korra. I'm leaving now."

"I'm going to stay here with Amon for awhile, since you want to have such a bad attitude." I told him. He stuck his tongue out at me, then stormed out of the kitchen. Before speaking to Amon, I waited until I heard the front door close.

"Amon, I'm so sorry about that." I said to him, "But he's been prying at me so much."

Amon sighed, "Korra, I wish you wouldn't talk about me with your friends. I'd rather have our relationship kept between the two of us."

"I don't tell him anything!" I said quickly, "He sees me go over here so he's become suspicious."

"I guess it doesn't matter anyway. Korra I need to talk to you about something important."

"What is it?"

"Well first of all, you need to decide right here and right now if you'll let me take away your bending. I just can't wait any longer." his voice was so forceful and stern. He'd never gotten like this before.

"Amon..." I fell from the chair and to the floor on my knees. Tears began to leak from eyes, I had to make this decision right now...I wasn't sure if I could.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven _

"I'm sorry to upset you like this but it just needs to be done." he said as he stood in front of me. I looked up at him with my tear-filled eyes.

"Why does it have to be now?" I asked. Of course, I had been hoping that he would give me a very long time to decide. "Don't you care about how I feel at all I mean it's a part of me?!" I didn't mean to say it so harshly but I did, I didn't like yelling at him but it was like I couldn't help it.

"Calm down Korra," he replied, "The reason I need you to decide now is because Tarrlok and I plan to leave town in a few days, I want you to come with us."

I nearly gasped, I never thought he would want me to live with him so soon. He hadn't even lived in town very long at all, "Why are you leaving here so quickly?" I asked him curiously. I wasn't sure I was even ready to take such a big step.

"Let's just say something came up." he explained, "Here, we can't fully be together anyways, someone can easily find out...they would never accept it. Leave with me and start a new life Korra, and all you have to do is let me take your bending."

I let out a sob then stood up, wrapping my arms around his waist. "Amon, I just don't know what I should do."

"What matters more...love or bending? Think about it that way." he asked, "I don't mean to sound cruel but you also don't have much of a reason to use it anyway."

I pulled away and then took a few steps back from him, "You know what? Fine just take my bending!" I cried. "I love you Amon, and I can't make myself stop loving you. If this is what you need me to do then do it." Even though it was so hard for me, I knew there shouldn't be anything more important than him. He had a good point, his words were sort of convincing. Although, I had to admit there was something in me that made feel very weak, but it was a rather small feeling.

"Very well then." Amon said, he sounded very pleased. "It'll be over real quickly."

It was so frightening to see that hand coming towards me.

xxxxx

Just like that it was gone, I left the house shortly after. Even though I was upset, I still let Amon kiss me goodbye. He told me I should start thinking about leaving, to mentally prepare and decide what I wanted to bring along.

I ran to the backyard of my house, I kept trying to bend but nothing happened. No fire, earth or water. Whatever Amon did, it really worked. Instead of sadness I began to feel more anger. My hands balled into fists. _Why did he have to take it away from me?! _In my moment of rage my hands shot up, I didn't expect anything to happen but something did. I had produced a blast of air.

_I can actually airbend! _I thought excitedly. I couldn't help but smile, this is something I would keep from Amon. Having one little secret wouldn't hurt. It wasn't as good as having all the other elements, but I wasn't in the position to complain.

xxxxx

"Korra, your friend came over today," Mom said as I walked into the living room, "He says you been hanging around strange men."

I looked at her and scowled. _When I see you,_ _I'm going to kill you Tahno! _I thought angrily to myself. "Mom, Tahno likes to make up stories. He was mad because I beat him in a race." I lied.

"So you don't hang around the men next door?" she asked.

"No, I've only talked to them a few times." I lied once again, "I'm telling you Mom Tahno just likes to make things up when he doesn't get his way."

She sighed, "I sure hope that's the case."

"It is mom, trust me." I said with a weak smile, "I'm going to my room now."

"Fine." she said flatly.

I then turned away and headed to my room. After shutting the door behind me, I threw myself onto the bed. I was already starting to warm up to the idea of leaving.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight_

I walked outside of the house, with the intention of going over to Amon's. Once I was out the door, I saw that Tahno was standing in the yard. Immediately I scowled and walked up to him. "Why did you go to my mom?" I asked angrily.

He smirked, "Aww, did Korra get in trouble?"

"Don't play with me Tahno, what kind of friend are you anyway?" I asked.

"You ditch me to hang out with some old guys and I'm the bad friend here?" he replied, moving his face close to mine. I stood my ground, looking back at him, challengingly at first but then I thought of something. Tahno liked to be flattered, of course. He wouldn't give in, because he always believed that he was right.

"Tahno, look I'm sorry. You're right I'm a bad friend." I told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's just that Amon's like a father figure and you know I don't have one anymore."

Tahno grabbed my hand from his shoulder and held it in his. "Oh Korra, don't you see he's just using you. He doesn't want to be your father." he said confidently, as if he knew exactly what he was talking about. To my surprise he pulled me close to him and hugged me tightly. "Korra, oh Korra you're so lost and dumb."

I wanted to break away and slap him, but instead I hugged him back. "Yes you're right I'm so lost Tahno." I said with feigned sweetness.

"And dumb." he added.

"Uh. Yeah."

Tahno then pulled back and gave me a little shove. "Lets go over my house today." he said. It wasn't really a request, it was an order. Even though I wanted to go to Amon's I went with him. I needed to keep him happy so he wouldn't keep telling my mom things, I wouldn't be here much longer anyways.

xxxxx

The time at Tahno's house actually wasn't that bad, he boasted about various things and had me brush his hair. We still did some fun things though, I was still eager to get to Amon's. Immediately I walked through the door with a big smile on my face, eager to see my beloved. When I walked in I saw Tarrlok sitting on the couch. He looked different, healthier and more put together.

"Hey Tarrlok." I said.

"Hello Korra, Amon's not here at the moment." he told me, "He'll be back real soon though." I was disappointed he wasn't there but I wasn't going to complain about it. I walked over and sat next to Tarrlok on the couch, he was really looking great.

"So where did he go?" I asked.

"Just some business matters." he replied, obviously he didn't want to tell me too much. "Korra I've been wanting to tell you something, but I've never gotten the chance."

"What is it Tarrlok?" I replied curiously.

"I understand you'll be going with us when we leave. I just want to know if you're truly ready to leave your old life behind," Tarrlok said, "Don't just go because you want to make Noatak happy."

"But I am ready." I assured him. Although I did still hold nervousness about leaving, still I believed that I was ready.

Tarrlok smiled and placed his arm around me. "Very well then, I just want to warn you that my brother can be a bit unstable at times."

"What do you mean?" I asked. I tensed up a bit, it felt odd being so close to him.

"Just be careful..." he mumbled.

I frowned, the secretiveness really frustrated me. "Tarrlok, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"When you first came here you were hurt...how did it happen exactly?" I asked carefully.

He pulled away his arm and turned his head, avoiding my gaze. "You'll know soon enough, Korra."

I opened my mouth to say something else but then I heard the front door open. It was, of course, Amon. I jumped up from the couch and ran to him. "You're back!" I exclaimed. He smiled, lifting me up and holding me tightly. I happily planted several kisses on his masked face. Behind us I heard Tarrlok grunt, but it didn't bother me.

Amon gently lowered me back down, and patted my head playfully. "Lets head upstairs Korra, my brother is obviously bothered by our affections." I giggled and then nodded.

"I'm not bothered by anything." Tarrlok said firmly. Amon shrugged then made his way to the staircase, me following behind him. Before going up the steps I waved at Tarrlok with a smile. I wanted us to be on a friendly level. To my surprise, he waved back and winked at me.

I walked up the steps behind Amon and then we went into his room. He closed the door behind him and turned to me. "So tell me Korra, do you enjoy flirting with my brother?"

I blinked in confusion, "I wasn't flirting with him, Amon where did you get such a crazy idea?"

"I'm not an idiot, what did he say to you while I was gone?" he asked, how I hated hearing that anger in his voice.

"He just wanted to make sure I'll be ready when we leave." I told him and it was pretty much the truth.

Amon removed his mask and discarded carelessly onto the floor. The anger on his face, made me take a few steps back. Why was something so small making him angry? I didn't like Tarrlok in that way, at all. "Amon, I wasn't flirting with Tarrlok. Please don't be mad at me." I begged.

He walked to me and grabbed onto my shoulders, so hard that I cringed in pain. "For your sake, I hope you're telling the truth. Otherwise I would have to do something terrible to both of you."

I started to tremble, "A-amon I swear I don't like your brother in that way."

He smiled, kneeling down so he could kiss my cheek lightly. "I'm sorry I got this way Korra, it's just that I don't want to lose you."

"I understand but you don't have to worry because you'll never lose me." I told him and I meant it. Amon picked me up then walked me over to his bed where he threw me down.

My heart began racing when I saw he was disrobing. "I'm sorry Korra but I just can't wait any longer." he whispered. I nodded slowly, as I shook with fear.

It seemed my bending wasn't the only thing he just couldn't wait to take from me.


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine_

I have trouble adjusting to him inside me, my whole body shaking from the invasive feeling. "Amon...Please..." I whimpered, as he moves and pants softly. Losing my innocence was harder than losing my bending...another special thing he took from me. I felt some anger towards him but most of it I directed towards my self, one man had managed to turn me into something so weak and helpless.

"Just relax Korra," Amon says, pushing into me deeper and causing me to cry out. "It's just me inside you." His voice is calm, just like when he had asked me to touch me, guiding and teaching me how to please him. I claw into him hard, hoping that I'm able to draw blood. He doesn't seem to mind, he starts thrusting even faster.

He licks slowly along my neck and then he suddenly bites down. "Amon stop!" I cried out, I then press my hands to his shoulders and try pushing him away. But of course he doesn't budge. His body tenses up and soon feel him unleash inside me, groaning against my ear.

He kisses me on the lips, reluctantly I kiss him back then he falls back onto the bed and pulls me with him. "Amon..." I whisper, unsure of what to say.

"Korra, I'm really sorry, it seems like I'm taking but not giving." Amon said, "But don't worry once we leave I'll give you everything you want." His voice did seem to have a trace of guilt, I felt bad for him. I nuzzled against his chest to comfort him.

"It's okay," I said although I wasn't really certain. "You're all I need."

"No, I know you're probably having doubts now." he replied, "But I promise I can make it up to you."

A weak smile came to my face, I didn't know if I really believed him. "I look forward to it..." I whispered.

xxxxx

It was the last day I would see my home, my old life was ending and soon I would be starting a new one. A life that would be dominated by Amon. I didn't have to pack much, just some clothes, there wasn't any material things that I really valued. Mom was at work so I wouldn't be able to see her, I left her a note saying "Just forget me." Which is exactly what I wanted her to do, it would probably be easy for her anyway.

Holding my small bag of clothes, I looked around at the house for awhile before I walked out the door, I had the feeling that I would somewhat miss it. I shook that thought away, then walked out the front door. Quickly, I went to Amon's house and in through the door.

Him and Tarrlok were standing in the living room, they had clearly been talking but had stopped when I walked in, that wasn't a good sign. "Is something wrong?" I asked, moving closer to them.

"Tarrlok here is just worried about the risk it is to take you along." Amon explained, "I, on the other hand am sure that the three of us will be fine."

"She's a little girl, people will notice she's missing-"

"You don't want me to go, Tarrlok?" I asked sadly.

He sighed, shaking his head. "You're too young to understand, Korra." He looked to me, his eyes full of pity. The he looked to his brother, his expression darkening, "But I suppose I can't stop you, do what you want." He gave me another look then walked away to get some of his things ready.

"Amon...will it really be too much trouble for me to go?" I asked.

"No, my brother's overreacting." he replied. He moved next to me and placed an arm around my shoulder. "You don't have to worry, I can take care of everything."

I forced a smile, he always had the answer to everything.

xxxxx

When we were in the car I had to lower myself in the seat, I had peeked over and saw Tahno. It was heartbreaking to know that he would be waiting for me, but I would never come. He would never see me again. When Amon started up the car, tears began to fall down my eyes. It was too late to change my mind, I curled up in the back of the car, closing my eyes tightly.

"Korra, are you alright?" Tarrlok asked, "See, she's already getting upset about leaving and we haven't even left the street!"

"She's fine." Amon said firmly.

"Keep telling yourself that." Tarrlok mumbled.

They said more but I just covered my ears, I really didn't want to hear it right now. The whole time I just laid in silence. Still, there was a voice in the back of my mind that kept telling me things would be alright in the end, I wasn't ready to believe it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

_A/N: Sorry it takes me so long to update lately, just been a busy with school and junk._

We had made it to the outskirts of town but Amon had to stop to see somebody. I looked through the window as he conversed with the man, both of them a good distance away. "What are they talking about?" I asked Tarrlok who had stayed in the car with me.

"So you're finally talking again," Tarrlok said, "Here I thought you'd stay back there in a fetal position." I frowned, before he had gotten better he was so much nicer. It wasn't surprising that he wouldn't tell me anything. I looked out the window, so curious about what Amon and the strange man were talking about. It couldn't have been anything bad, because soon I saw the stranger laughing. Perhaps, he was just saying goodbye to the man or something.

"Can you at least tell me how long it will take us to get there?" I asked.

"Sorry to tell you but you're in for a long car ride." he replied. In response I grunted, and saw that Amon was now returning to the car.

"Everything's taken care of." He said to his brother once he got into the car.

"Good." Tarrlok said flatly.

Frowning I leaned up from the back seat so I could look at Amon. They couldn't just take me along with them and expect me to remain ignorant. "What exactly was taken care of?" I said, my voice firm and demanding. I heard Tarrlok chuckle and my eyes darted to him angrily.

"It's so adorable when she tries to act grown up." Tarrlok said in amusement. I was about to shoot something back at him but then Amon spoke up.

"Korra, it was just making the final arrangements for where we would live next. Please don't get worked up over trivial matters." Amon said, his voice calm. Now feeling embarrassed I leaned back into my seat, my head bowed. "Sorry." I mumbled.

"It's fine," he said, "you will let go of all your worries soon enough." I smiled a little although I wasn't sure what he meant but his voice was so comforting.

**xxxxx  
**

As we drove further and further, I was so unsure about things. Sometimes I felt optimistic but then I would soon start having doubt. Tarrlok kept making antagonizing remarks, but I wasn't afraid to say something right back. Sometimes during our ride I found our arguing very amusing. Amon didn't seem to mind at all, I think he liked that possibility we were beginning to dislike one another.

It wasn't all bad though, there was a time when it was late and Amon pulled over for some rest. He usually only stopped if it was absolutely necessary. Tarrlok was sound asleep in the passenger seat. "Korra, are you still awake?" he whispered when my eyes were just about to close.

"Yes," I whispered back sleepily.

"Do you think you can come up here with me for a few minutes?" he asks.

I smile and then carefully move up so I can get over to the driver's seat with him. I nervously glance at Tarrlok, I can only make out a little bit of his features in the dark. "Don't worry about him," Amon whispered, sensing my hesitation. With a smile, I then move into his lap. He allows me to remove his mask and kiss him. I was really happy to be affectionate with him, I had really missed it...more than I thought I would.

"Amon, how much further do we have to go." I whisper softly as I nuzzle against him.

"Not much further," he replied, stroking my hair gently. My lips press against his neck and I feel him tense up a little.

"Can I ask you something?" I said.

"Of course."

"Have you ever liked any other girls?" I asked carefully.

"Girls, no. Women, yes." he explained, "I never thought I would ever feel this way for someone as young as you. Sometimes I feel ashamed about it." I smiled, it was good to be reassured he just didn't go after every young girl he saw. I wasn't bothered by that fact he felt some shame, I could definitely understand the feeling.

**xxxxx  
**

"This is it?" I asked, with very little excitement. We had pulled up to a large but very crummy looking house and junk littered the yard. I didn't expect perfection, but shouldn't a new and better life start with a good home? I saw that there was another car parked in front of the house, I wondered who could possibly be there.

"Yes, for now." Tarrlok said.

"But it sort of looks like it's about to cave in." I said. The two of them laughed but didn't say anything. The three of us then got out of the car, "Is someone else here?" I asked as we passed the other car.

Amon nodded, and we walked up onto the porch. The door was partially and open and before we went in, a woman walked out to greet us. "So you're here," she said, handing Amon a set of keys. She sure didn't look very friendly, her eyes shot over to me, "Who's she?"

"My daughter." Amon answered calmly. I felt a slight shiver, I know he couldn't tell the truth. But still it made me feel uncomfortable.

"I didn't know you had a daughter," she said, her eyes moving back to him.

"That's because I like to keep certain things away from my work." he replied.

I could tell by her expression that she didn't completely believe it, but she just simply shakes her head. "Well, whatever then, enjoy the house." she said, then left us there to go to her car.

When we walked in I would see that the inside was worse than the outside in appearance. It wasn't that big deal of a deal though, because as I as walked through the threshold I felt completely free from the burden of my old life. All those bad things would become distant memories.

**xxxxx**

Things did start out well,each day I would wake up next to him and have him all to myself. Of course, he had to leave once and awhile to do some business. He never explained what it was he did. When I asked, he was evasive. If I persisted he would often just try silencing me with affections, and I'll admit it worked.

"It seems you really cling to me." he said with lightheartedness when I had shook him awake. I didn't like being awake before him.

I smiled, "Well what else am I supposed to do?" I asked and lightly kissed his lips.

He smiled for a moment but then his expression turned slightly serious.

"I forgot to tell you, today I might be gone longer than usual." he said, sitting up in the bed.

"How long exactly?" I said, worried. What would I do if he was gone? I had no one but him, Tarrlok and I hadn't talked much since arriving. I knew if he was gone too long I would miss him terribly.

"I'm not sure quite yet, could be just a day, a few days or weeks." he said gently.

"But Amon you can't just leave me here..." I whispered, heavy sadness in my voice.

"It's really not a big deal," he says, "Please don't become overemotional, it will greatly upset me."

I took a deep breath to calm myself a little, "I guess you're right..." I mumbled.

"Also, you need to promise you will not do anything thing with my brother."

My eyes widened, he still had this on his mind? I had told him clearly I didn't want Tarrlok. I scowled, angry that he didn't trust me. "Amon! I won't! Why do you think that?!" I cried angrily.

He looked to me, his expression unreadable. "If you do, don't think you can get away with it," he explained, "I will find out."

"Nothing will happen!" I shouted.

"Shouting won't convince me."

I hated that he didn't believe me, did he really think that low of me? "Well maybe you should just stay if you really think I'll do something!" I blurted out.

It was definitely the wrong thing to say.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven **

I felt a strange, powerful force go throughout my body as I was lifted up. Amon was a bender and he was bloodbending me! I felt both awe and rage, I wanted to scream out and call him out on his hypocrisy but I knew that would only worsen things. He must of reacted in a moment of rage because I could tell he was regretting the demonstration of his ability. "Amon, I-I'm sorry." I said weakly. I wanted him to release his grip, the feeling in my body was awful.

I was soon slammed back into a wall. For awhile he looked at me with frightening anger, my own expression twisted from the extreme discomfort my body felt and fearful. When I saw his features soften and his body lose tension I was both relieved and surprised. He released his powerful grip and I fell carelessly to the floor on my knees. "I'm sorry," I said softly as he moved toward me. "That came out wrong, I just want you to know that you can trust me completely." I wanted to say something about his talent, but that would be foolish to do when he had just calmed down.

"It's all right I know I overreacted," he said as he held out his hand. I smiled lightly and took it. It was good we could try to let go of such a moment so quickly, wasn't it? When I was on my feet I immediately hugged him tightly. "You can sure bring out the worse in me," he uttered. I pulled back and looked up at him with a scowl. I saw that he was smiling playfully, so my frustration quickly faded away.

"Well you do the same for me," I declared proudly. Although my voice lacked seriousness, I knew that my statement was actually the truth. It was the same case for him but somewhat worse. If people found out about our relationship, I would be seen as a victim, no matter how much I screamed that I wasn't while he would be seen as the predator.

He played with my hair and I felt butterflies in my chest and stomach. "You'll probably grow to be an amazing and strong woman," he said, "I promise I won't do anything to prevent that."

I smiled, I knew he wouldn't.

**xxxxx**

When he was about to leave, I had trouble letting go. We stood on the porch with my arms tightly around him. It was very hard for me to hold back tears. "Can you at least give me a hint about where you're going?" I mumbled. I knew he wouldn't want to tell me everything, he always had to be the mysterious one. Asking for a simple hint should show him that I wasn't prying or anything.

"I help people get answers, Korra." he replied.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?" I asked pulling back so I could look up at him.

"You said you wanted a hint and that's precisely what I gave you," he told me.

I sighed, his "hint" only succeeded in filling my mind with even more questions. I didn't say anything more about it though, I at least wanted a pleasant good-bye. Who knew how long he would be gone. "I'll miss you." I stated softly.

"I'll miss you, too." he said, placing his hand on my shoulder. "I'll try to be back as soon as I can."

"Promise?" I asked hopefully.

He nodded, "yes." With that he leaned down and kissed me, his lips lingered against mine for quite awhile. I didn't want him to pull away I felt the need to latch onto him and never let go.

"I'll have to get going now." he whispered and slowly pulled away.

I nodded sadly, my eyes glazed. "Bye Noatak." I said as he began to walk away. I was a little surprised that he didn't call me out on addressing him by his true moniker. My eyes were on him as he reached the car, once inside he waved to me. I returned the smile and kept waving until he drove off, I only turned away once he was completely out of view.

_I help people get answers... _I repeated to myself as I walked back into the house.

**xxxxx**

"What sort of answers would you need?" I asked when I approached Tarrlok in the living room.

"Excuse me?" he said, frowning.

"Your brother says he helps get answers," I explained with my eyes narrowing, "what exactly does that mean? Is he a spy or something?"

Tarrlok looked at me for a few moments as if I had said something completely outlandish. I was about to say something further but then he laughed. "No, it's definitely not that. Of course you would come to the most childish conclusion."

I sat down next to him on the old couch that had a hideous floral pattern and looked at him with sad eyes. Perhaps being a child could help me, maybe I could awaken more of his sympathy. "Why are you being so hateful towards me, Tarrlok?" I said with sadness in my voice. "Don't you like me any more?"

His expression darkened, "The more I think about this whole relationship the angrier I get. What could possibly make you so damn special that my brother would risk gaining the title of pedophile?"

"I guess I don't really know..." I answered, "what do you think?" It couldn't be because I was a bender, since he could of just taken my abilities and went on his way. I was of course left with air but he doesn't even know about that. It had to be that he truly loved me and nothing more, I wondered if Tarrlok could understand that.

Tarrlok shrugged and then stood up from the couch, "I don't know I really don't." he cupped my chin a bit forcefully and made look at him, his eyes intense. "Just understand that there is no turning back for you."

**xxxxx**

It didn't take long for me to start feeling loneliness along with a dreadful empty feeling. I was laying on the bed just gazing at the ceiling, wishing Amon was next to me. I felt this way even with Tarrlok walking around. His footsteps seemed to sound on and on for hours, I wondered why he was so restless.

_I can't just lay here and do nothing! _I thought angrily to myself and got up from the bed. I stormed down the hallway where I found Tarrlok about to step into another room. "I think I'm going to go outside and look around." I told him. "It seems like we're in the middle of nowhere!"

"You can go outside and play your little games," he replied in a mocking tone, "But you can't leave the yard or anything."

"What?! Why?!" I cried.

"Because if anything happens to you I wouldn't hear the end of it."

"What could happen from just going for a walk? I can't be stuck here all day Tarrlok!" I was practically whining. I know that my choice to leave called for many sacrifices but I still needed at least some contact with the outside world. Especially when Amon wasn't here.

"You'll get out eventually." Tarrlok said, I could tell he was slightly amused. "Whenever I feel like going anywhere, I'll consider bringing you along."

I looked at him for a few moments but didn't say anything, I shook my head and then turned away. "Don't be so..." Tarrlok began to say but I didn't listen to the rest I just kept walking until I was back in the bedroom where I could slam the door behind me.

I sat down on the side of the bed, a tear running down my cheek. I started to wonder about my mother and Tahno, if they missed me. When it came to my mother I doubted she missed me at all although I was sure Tahno did. Either way they were things of the past and I had to let them go, no point in feeding my sorrow. So instead I thought of my present and future, Amon.

**xxxxx**

That night I decided to run a nice hot bath. I made sure to lock the bathroom door, the last thing I wanted was Tarrlok walking in on me. I stripped out of my clothes and lowered myself into the tub, the water was very relaxing.

Smiling to myself, I started to wonder if Amon was thinking about me. He probably was, I told myself unless he was distracted by something else, something very important. I could picture him very clearly, it was hard for me to decide whether I liked him masked or unmasked more.

Without really thinking, I moved my hand under the water and between my thighs. My heart began to race as I slowly pressed my hand against my sex. I was beginning to tremble a little. Why was I so nervous about touching my own body! I didn't have to feel guilty! I quickly told myself.

I rubbed myself slowly for awhile but then my revelation came. It wasn't his touch my body would miss when he was gone...it was starting to feel like I didn't feel complete without him around now. I knew that seemed completely stupid and pathetic, was I becoming like my mother? No, I just couldn't be. There would always be that small part of me that was forever self-deprecating but for once I felt more certainty. I truly believed then I could take anything life had to offer.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

It had been days and Amon still hadn't returned. I was becoming extremely worried, what if something happened to him? Or what if he just simply abandoned me? I hoped neither one of these was the case. _Stay strong Korra,_ I told myself again and again. And that's what I had to do no matter what happened, no matter how hard it would be.

"Have you heard anything from Amon?" I asked Tarrlok when I walked into the kitchen.

"No, I haven't." he replied as he continued to make his breakfast.

"Aren't you worried about him?" I asked, if he was he sure didn't show it from what I saw.

"Not at all, Noatak can take care of himself. Trust me." he told me and cracked some eggs into the pan on the stove.

"Well I hope he comes back soon." I said with a sigh.

He glanced away from the pan to look at me, "You're worried he won't come back?"

"Kind of." I admitted.

"Well don't be, he'll come back." Tarrlok assured with complete confidence.

A light smile crossed my face, "I hope so, I'm going to go outside for awhile."

"Stay close." he reminded me, turning back to his cooking.

"Yeah I know," I replied with slight irritation. With that I turned away and made my way outside. I didn't get to leave the vicinity of the house very often. Occasionally Tarrlok would have someone pick him up and take him into the small town we were on the outskirts of, sometimes bringing me along. It was never very exciting.

Once outside, I paced the yard for awhile. _Well I guess I could try out some airbending, _I thought. I looked around both ways even though I knew there was no one around outside, it was a reflex. With a deep breath I held my hand forward. A blast of wind came, blowing away several leaves and twigs. My other hand shot forward giving a similar result. "Well I guess I could be a human leaf blower," I said aloud to myself in a bitter tone. It always felt awful having a special ability and being able to do next to nothing with it.

I looked to the ground sadly and for awhile just stood there with my head bowed. Just as I was about to sink into depression I heard the sound of the vehicle. Quickly I looked up and saw that it was him. He was back! As soon as he was parked in the driveway I ran up to the car to greet him. Seeing his masked face lifted me up beyond belief.

"You're back!" I cried happily as soon as he got out of the vehicle. I hugged him tightly, unable to stop smiling. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Korra." he said, I could sense something in his voice a certain kind of sadness.

I pulled back and looked up at him, "is something wrong?"

"I think it's time you finally knew the truth." said Amon.

He was finally going to tell me everything, I was both excited and scared. What if it was something I couldn't handle? _No! _I quickly told myself, _You can handle anything, remember. _"Well okay, do you want to go inside?" I said.

"No here's fine." he stated, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Do you know why bending is no longer something that is openly practiced?"

After a moment of thought I gave a slow nod. "Because after so many years there were less and less benders. It just became something people kept to themselves since they felt like outcasts, people kept it behind closed doors...sort of trying to forget it..." That was at least what I had been told by my parents, especially my dad who emphasized it many times when he had been around.

"There's more to it than that." Amon said, his hand tightened slightly on my shoulder. "There's an underground group known as the Equalists, a group I later took leadership of. Before I developed the method to remove someone's bending, benders were simply killed."

My eyes widened, but it just seemed all along I knew there was something very dangerous about him. "But Amon, doesn't this group know you're a bender?" I asked, even though I knew being reminded of the fact might anger him.

"No," he answered in a surprisingly calm tone. "If they found out they would probably kill me."

I found the nonchalance in his voice shocking. I pushed his hand off of me, "Why don't you just leave?" I asked, anger filling my voice.

He didn't answer that question instead he said, "I didn't move next door to you at random. I was told what you were and at first I was just going to take your bending and leave. But right once I saw you I knew it wouldn't be that simple." his paused for a moment, "even though I developed these feelings for you I still had to take it eventually. I tried to be patient but once you showed it off in front of me –"

"I'm not a show off!" I cried defensively. He had known about me since the day he moved next door, I hated the thought that I had pushed his patience by showing him some simple waterbending. Maybe if I had just kept quiet about my abilities he could have just let it go.

"That's not the point." he said with a sigh.

"Wait a minute, how did you find out about me in the first place?" I said once the question suddenly dawned on me.

"Your father." Amon stated.

"My dad? How?"

"My second-in-command and I had gone for a night out at a bar in the city," he said, "We overheard him talking about what a 'freak' his daughter was."

I frowned deeply, "And he just told you where I was?"

"Actually it took a lot of convincing."

I found that surprising, maybe he did care about me a little. Or maybe they just didn't offer him anything worthwhile in return. "Do you know where he is now?" I asked out of natural curiosity. He shook his head and I sighed in disappointment.

"Why did you decide to tell me all this?" It seemed so sudden and odd since he had been so reluctant about revealing anything before his departure.

Before he could answer we both turned at the sound of the front door opening. "So you're finally back." he said, looking to his older brother. "I need to talk to you. Alone.

Without even hesitating he turns away from me and walks to Tarrlok. "But I asked..." I didn't finish, he could answer my other questions at another time, there would be plenty of other opportunities. I hoped.

**xxxxx**

I wasn't completely sure what the two brothers had talked about but had a feeling that their conversation was about me. "If Tarrlok has something to say about me he can say it to my face," I said, mostly out of frustration, to Amon once we approached each other in the hallway.

He laughed, "He didn't say anything bad about you." he stroked my cheek gently and instantly I began to warm up.

"Please don't leave for so long again..." I whispered.

"I can't promise that, Korra." he replied.

"I know," I said, looking down sadly. He lifted up his mask and rubbed his eyes, I could tell that he was really tired. "Hey maybe you should get some rest." I said even though I really wanted to continue our earlier conversation.

"You're right, would you like to lay down with me for a while?" Amon asked.

I smiled, "Of course!"

Every moment with him, I just had to cherish.

**xxxxx**

My eyes opened slowly, my head lifted up from his chest. It was late in the afternoon and he was still fast asleep. I leaned down to give him a quick kiss on the lips then I got off of the bed. I couldn't help but wonder what he did while he was gone, it couldn't have been anything very pleasant.

I walked downstairs for a glass of water but before I reached the kitchen I heard a faint rustling sound coming from outside. Quickly I jerked around to see a man gazing in through the window of the den. His eyes were narrowed, angry and the bottom half of his face was covered by a red piece of fabric. Our eyes stayed locked on each others for several moments, my heart was racing. I felt the urge to call for Amon or Tarrlok but instead as soon as I saw the man turn away I bolted for the front door.

When I got outside he was running towards his car. "Hey! Stop!" I shouted as I jumped from the porch, moving both of my hands forward and shooting a powerful blast. The man was knocked off his feet, his eyes widened. "Wanna tell me what you're peeking in the windows for?" I demanded. I didn't get an answer instead he scowled and shot out his fist.

A blaze of fire came at me instantly I jumped to the side, the flames missing me by inches. _A firebender..._I thought, _probably one of Amon's enemies. _It was easy to assume that he had many. Before he could attack again I sent another blast his way, knocking him against the automobile. Before I could make another move his face suddenly contorted as his body was propelled in the air.

"Korra!" I turned to the porch and saw Amon standing in the threshold. I hadn't heard him come out, he had his bloodbending grip on the firebender. I began to shake with fear, _He had seen me airbend..._


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

I watched in both awe and horror as the firebender was slammed into the house over and over again. Each time he hit his face became more bloodied, the red fabric that covered his face slowly coming off. My body shaking I lowered myself until my knees touched the soft ground. I couldn't take this, no matter how strong I attempted to be I was just a little girl.

"Korra look up." Amon demanded, surprisingly his voice had a certain level of warmth to it. With great reluctance I looked up, the firebender was still in the air but his body had gone limp. The red fabric that had been around his face was now falling off, I saw that it was actually a scarf. I continued to watch as it fell to the ground as if it were his last sign of life.

"A-amon, you've killed someone." I said, stammering as I pushed myself back onto my feet. It was hard for me to believe but... he was a murderer. The lifeless body of the firebender was released from his bloodbending grip and hit the ground with a light thud. I immediately turned my eyes away from the corpse and looked to Amon who was making his way towards me. Would he immediately take away my airbending? I really wasn't ready to lose it especially now that I knew I wasn't safe, someone else would surely come after Amon. Which meant I would be caught in the cross-fire. I simply refused to be completely useless!

"Yes, I did kill someone," he stated. "I suppose you're going to run from me now."

"No, I'm not going to run away, I would never do that." I told him, my voice shaky. I just had to get away from the firebender's body, having it so considerably close was making me sick. "I just need to go somewhere to think for a few minutes." I looked to the ground and began walking away so I could go to the back of the house.

"Wait Korra." he said and grabbed me by the shoulder.

"No," I protested, jerking away from his grip. "I just want a few moments to think by myself, okay?" Before he could say anything else, I started running until I got to the back of house where I dropped to the ground on my knees. I was afraid, I just couldn't help it. Before I could even begin to gather my thoughts, Amon was walking in front of me.

"You can't take my airbending Amon!" I shouted, "If you've got people coming after you then I don't want to just be a helpless little girl!"

"You're not even very skilled in airbending." he replied rather bluntly.

"I can be if you let me!" I snapped, much of my anger was building up and slowly reaching it's boiling point.

"Settle down Korra." He told me firmly. "I haven't decided if I'll take your airbending or not yet. Even if I hate the idea of you having it..."

"I know but I don't want to be helpless."

"We'll discuss it later. I know that you're most likely beginning to despise me now."

"What? No I don't. I'm just a bit scared," I admitted, my eyes lowering.

He lowered himself down in front of me, "you have every right to be, even I know just how messed up I am." He seemed so sad, despite the scene I had witnessed I felt sorry for him and hated that I had upset him so much. It was somewhat comforting to know that he had remorse.

"I know you're messed up," I said with a weak smile, "but I think I'm pretty messed up, too." Instead of saying anything he pulled me into him and hugged me tightly. I easily fell for his affections, he didn't have to anything.

_**xxxxx**_

"Um, Tarrlok, Amon wants you to help clean up the, er, mess outside." I said awkwardly rubbing the back of my neck. The younger brother sat on the recliner, he didn't seem like he was in a very good mood. But that was understandable.

"You mean the body?" he said, his brow furrowed. "I saw through the window, Korra, don't try to sugarcoat it."

I looked down shamefully, "he was trying to attack us," I say even though I really didn't feel it was justification.

"You should get used to it you know." Tarrlok said as he stood up.

"Get used to what?"

"The benders attacking. It was only a matter of time." I was surprised by how casual he sounded about his very life being in danger. There was no way I could get used to being attacked and having to be on my guard all of the time. But what else could I do?

"Well still, Amon needs your help." I murmured, grimacing.

"I know." He replied and then walked past me.

_**xxxxx**_

I only came outside once I was sure they had finished burying the body. Just picturing them doing so made my skin crawl. I quickly shook away my disgust and walked out the door. Immediately I would see Amon walking to the porch with a dirty shovel in hand. The legs of his pants were really dirty, I smiled. "Wow you look a mess." I said with a forced and weak smile.

"I'm glad to see you're all better." he said, setting down the shovel. "I'm impressed that you can recover from shock so easily."

"Well, I wouldn't say fully recovered." I admitted. "Where's Tarrlok?"

"He went to get rid of firebender's car." He looked me over for a few moments and then sighed.

My head tilted in confusion. "What?"

"I just really need to be close to you right now..." he said softly.

"I think you need to wash off a little first." I said with a nervous giggle. He had just buried a man in a shallow grave, I wasn't sure I was ready to be that close quite yet...it would make me feel ashamed, filthy.

"I do feel guilt Korra, I feel awful inside actually, I am not heartless." Amon stated. It was obvious that he could easily see my reluctance. "But sometimes you just can't avoid doing what has to be done."

"I know you're not heartless, Amon..." I told him then I locked my eyes on him, looking him over. He had regret, I could tell and he needed comfort. Comfort that only I could give him...and I would.

_**xxxxx**_

Surprisingly I didn't have a problem warming up to him again despite what had happened such a short time ago. He just seemed so sad...me being spiteful wouldn't do any good any way. The two of us were on the recliner where I sat on his lap, nuzzling against his recently showered skin. "You smell so nice." I giggled. "By the way what the heck's taking Tarrlok so long?"

"I have no idea," he replied, rubbing his hand along my back. "But I'm sure he'll be back soon enough."

"Can I ask something? Did you finally tell me everything because we're going to be attacked on a regular basis now?" I asked, really hoping that would not be the case.

"Yes, but I'm hoping it really won't be on a regular basis. It's just a small group of benders who are trying to fight back. Trust me they will fail, they always do." He grabbed my face gently and pressed his lips against mine. My heart instantly began beating fast, it seemed he could put aside all my doubt and fears very easily.

I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair, I was very happy to see the genuine smile on his face. "Are you sure Tarrlok will be okay?" I asked, surprisingly I couldn't help but be a bit worried about him, I was still paranoid and had a bad feeling. We didn't get along at times but I didn't want anything to happen to him.

"I can't be sure of anything Korra, but don't worry too much."

"But if he gets attacked how will he defend himself...I don't think he's a bender or is he?" I said, I had never even really thought about it before.

"He was." Amon stated simply. He didn't really need to explain any further. I understood.

"Oh..." I say, shifting in his lap uncomfortably.

"Do you care about him a lot?"

I looked away, "Amon please don't start saying that, I just don't want him to end up dead or anything!"

"Neither do I. But he hasn't been gone all that long, stop worrying." he said and embraced me extra tightly.

With a smile I let out a pleasant sigh, "You're probably right."

_**xxxxx**_

The time for justified worrying eventually came. It had been hours upon hours and Tarrlok still hadn't returned. Amon had been wrong, I had been right to worry. "Are you going to go look for him?" I said once I saw him heading for the front door.

"Yes and you're coming along. There's no way I can leave you alone." He replied and I stood up. I had no problem with going along. I just wanted everything to be okay.

"Where are we going to look for him?" I asked when the two of us walked out the door.

"He said he was going to get rid of it at the lake around here." Amon replied as he offered his hand which I quickly took. I hadn't been able to explore the area before, I hadn't even known there was a lake around, so I was a bit excited.

"Is it far?"

"Let's just say the walk there will be a good workout."

"Not for me!" I told him confidently. As we walked further and further away from the house I kept my eye out for anything that seemed out of place. As we walked down the road we passed many trees, but not much else. It seemed so quiet, it was almost torturous. I didn't say anything though, Amon appeared to be very deep in thought and I didn't want to disturb him.

It seemed like we were walking forever by the time we turned down on a hill that lead to the lake. Immediately we noticed the imprint of of tire tracks in the grass. By the lake was the car that had belonged to the firebender, the driver door was wide open. The two of us ran down to the vehicle. There was no sign of Tarrlok but part of the driver seat was clearly burned.

"He was attacked," Amon concluded as he touched the burnt, black upholstery of the seat.

"Another firebender..." I added, "Amon what are we going to do?"

"We'll find him. These benders just might be more trouble than I originally thought." he said, I could see he was sad and worried for his brother. "I'm going to have to arrange an Equalist meeting, Korra." He grabbed my hand and started pulling me away, in a hurry.

"You cannot let them know you're a bender, understand?" He said, looking at me very sternly.

I felt a lump forming in my throat so I simply nodded. I was nervous about meeting the Equalists, they didn't seem like very nice people. At all.

_**xxxxx**_

When the two of us returned to the house, Amon began making phone calls. He spoke calmly and controlled but I could tell that he was really frantic. It had never occurred to me before but he did really care about his brother more than I had thought.

"Are they going to find Tarrlok?" I asked once he finally hung up the telephone.

"Yes they will soon enough, but we're not going to let something like this happen again."

"Get ready to go, Korra. We'll be meeting up with them in town."

Before he could move away I wrapped my arms him tightly. He needed it, I felt so bad for him. "It'll all be okay, Amon." I assured him softly although I wasn't sure.


End file.
